Many in the market to tour luxurious homes

Marcia Butell loves luxury living.

“I think everyone who lives here, loves to be here,” said Butell, a resident of the Bella Sera condominiums, 4500 Bob Billings Parkway and owner of the Rejuvene Day Spa located on-site. “People think the exterior is beautiful, but it doesn’t hold a candle to what’s inside these front doors. I think it’s fabulous here.”

The gated community, where condos sell for about $350,000 and up, was among the nearly 20 featured sites Sunday on the Lawrence Home Builders Association Fall Parade of Homes.

Interested home buyers and gawkers had an open door to homes across the city, ranging from a townhome priced at $149,900 to a single home with an asking price of nearly $1.2 million.

The parade offered plenty of granite countertops, three car garages, walk-in closets and landscaped yards.

“This is one of the model homes, but the quality is the same throughout,” Butell said as she strolled into a first-floor condo at Bella Sera. “The kitchens are just beautiful. Granite. Very upscale. Stainless steel appliances. Gas range. Tumbled marble backsplashes.”

Lawrence resident Harry Herington and his family were among the people strolling through the complex. Herington said it was his first stop on the tour.

“We live down the street,” he said. “We watched this being built, and it was just sort of intriguing.”

Herington said the family is a couple of years from moving to a new home and are exploring the market.

“We’re just now starting to look and get ideas,” he said.

Georgia Lehman, of Lawrence, also took the tour Sunday. She said she was enjoying a leisurely afternoon of gathering decorating ideas.

“I kind of wanted to see the two homes that were a million dollars,” she said, “not that we could have those, but to see how they were done.”

The tour continues from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Information is available at lawrenceparade .com.